Here are 7 verses to feast on when you’re feeling lonely:

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty (John 6:35).

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me (Revelation 3:20).

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? (1 Corinthians 3:16).

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand (Isaiah 41:10, NLT).

Where can I go from your Spirit?Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there;if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn,if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me,your right hand will hold me fast (Psalm 139: 7-10).

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).

Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20, NLT).

There is a verse here for each day of the week. May you be comforted as you cry out to God and bring your loneliness to Him. Oh how He cares for you and is more than able to provide for the hunger of your soul.

Let’s give a warm welcome to my friend, Gretchen, as she sheds light on a hangup that is all too familiar to this #TightlyWoundWoman.

Wound Up and Ready to Control

Post by: Gretchen Fleming

I once saw a bumper sticker that summed me up perfectly as a woman.

Lead, follow, or get out of the way.

Without trying, I am normally a take-charge kind of person.

With the ability to lead comes the temptation to take charge, even when it isn’t my responsibility to do so.

All it takes is for me to see “life” happening contrary to my opinion and I become wound tight. I will admit it- as a woman, I am not at my best when I’m wound tight.

Usually that means I have been loaded with ample doses of fear (because let’s be honest, nothing gets us wound tighter than fear). This leaves me riled up and ready to take control of events and if necessary, people.

I think this scenario has happened countless times to women throughout the ages.

Amazingly, even to Jesus’ mother.

When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” Mark 3:21, NIV

At this time, Jesus was still early in His ministry (around 30 years of age), but He was already drawing big crowds which began to stir controversy with the religious leaders. Attention was drawn as He performed miracles, openly contradicted the teachers of the law, and generally behaved unlike anything they had ever seen.

Well, you can imagine who was very aware of His every choice and action- His mother Mary!

Later, it identifies in verse 31 the actual members of His family that came to take charge of Him.

Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him.

Any mother worth her weight knows when it’s time to step in and take charge of a child, right?! Even if He is the Son of God and 30 years old!!

No judging here because we all know what it’s like when that feeling arises. Fear begins to take control so what do we instinctively do?

We reach for control!

Oftentimes, as women, we feel the compulsion to protect and direct, even if it contradicts God’s will. If somebody’s going to get upset or warrant unwanted attention, then we feel the need to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Jesus was very much in the will of God as He conducted Himself. He knew God’s plan involved some harsh realities in life but He willingly accepted that, trusting His Father implicitly. Christ recognized that even when people/events seemingly swirled OUT of control, His Father was sovereignly controlling every single aspect.

Just as Christ was not controlled by fear because of His trust in God, Mary was still learning this exercise of faith….and so was I as a mom.

I don’t know another way but it seems like the perfect storm as we raise children to the age when they are ALL about freedom, but still growing into the RESPONSIBILITY of that freedom. In middle and high school, my kids had their usual share of bumps along the way, maybe even more so for two of them.

And as you can imagine, my instinctive response was to clamp down with control!

Yes, I am all about boundaries with accountability for teenagers but my need for control, due to all the fear I lived with, was unhealthy. Might I even say unbiblical?

I fretted my way through those years but I will tell you, somewhere along the way, Christ finally taught me His powerful peace in God’s sovereignty. We ended up facing some heart breaking times as parents but what came of it was the breaking of a stronghold in my life as a mom.

Like Mary, I needed to learn that my kids weren’t in need of my control because they were already under God’s control. I could trust His plan even when life seemed tumultuous. No matter how big the storm or waves, our God was bigger.

Romans 8:18, 28 became our practical hope. We just had to cling to God through faith until they became our living realities.

I can tell you today, as a mom of young adult kids in their early twenties, I am more at peace than I thought possible. No longer wound tight and quick to control, I am able to be still and know, that the mess I may see in front of me, will be used for good.

Love,
Gretchen

Gretchen’s passion is to follow hard after Jesus, knowing He is the treasure of a lifetime and worth every minute she commits to Him. God’s Word has been life-changing to her through the most trying times—a great source of strength, wisdom, and truth. She’s a speaker, writer, and Bible teacher who loves to see Jesus change lives as He’s changed hers. Gretchen is a wife of 29 years and mother of 3 young adult children.

I’m delighted to welcome back my friend Tyra as she encourages as with the Father’s love and shares about her new book, Purposeful Parenting.

Our Good Shepherd, Our Good Father

by Tyra Lane-Kingsland

All morning this Chris Tomlin song played in my head, “You’re a good good father. That’s who you are. And I am loved by you.” Those words were a balm for my weary soul.

Though it doesn’t often consume me, the void I felt in my heart this Mother’s Day was palpable. My mother died when I was just 18 years old. And even before that, her presence in my life was irregular. So as I sat, heart hurting, wondering how on earth I could even mother my little flock of six, when I had not been mothered myself, God bought me a reminder.

Like a shepherd, he tends his flock. He gathers the lambs in his arms, carries them close to his heart, and gently leads the mother sheep.” Isaiah 40:11

Like a shepherd he tends his flock.

It is a great responsibility to shepherd His precious little ones. Carefully nurturing them so that they are kept safe and held close, near to the Father. Without careful feeding and tending, lambs and sheep are doomed. But thanks be to God that Jehovah-Raah, The Lord Our Shepherd, dutifully leads, guides, and protects us and He equips us to do the same for our children.

Like a shepherd he tends my heart. He continues to circumcise my heart so as to remove pride. A proud parent is demanding, harsh, and critical. But under his loving hand, He has enabled me to become humble, gentle, and accepting.

He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart.

Oh friends, let Father God hold you in his arms. You are not TOO BIG to be picked up and carried by the Good Shepherd. You ever have one of your older children come plop themselves right in your lap? In mamas lap there is comfort and safety. Just as your children find comfort in your lap, you can find safety and comfort in the arms of your Heavenly Daddy.

He gently leads the mother sheep.

In parenting, gentleness does not mean you are weak or a pushover parent.

In fact the parent who is gentle in the face of wanting to be harsh and mild when wanting to be aggressive is the one who demonstrates great strength and self-control.

Under the Lord’s gentle guiding hand, we enter the current to flow in rivers of gentleness. While our natural inclination may be to want to swim upstream, let these words written in 1742 by Charles Wesley be a sweet reminder:

We can be so hard on ourselves especially when it comes to our role as a mother. Shame can cause us to compare ourselves. But God’s gentle direction and redirection steers us away from shame and condemnation and leads us in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Day by day He is teaching me. Day by day he is leading me.

In the loving arms of Abba I am fortified to be the mama my children need. He has entrusted this little flock into my care and He’s equipping me to lead them, to tend to them, to nurture them, and to love them, day by day. And as He’s teaching me, He’s teaching them and great shall be their peace (Isaiah 54:13).

He’s a Good Good Father, indeed.

Leaning on Him,
Tyra

In what ways has Jesus been tending to you? How has Jesus demonstrated gentleness with you?

For this and other inspiration on Christ-led parenting check out Tyra’s new book Purposeful Parenting.

Tyra Lane-Kingsland is no stranger to inspiring hearts. From tending the hearts of her husband and six children to her role as a Women’s Ministry Leader, speaker and blogger, Tyra has provided encouragement to countless people. Tyra is the author of the new book, Purposeful Parenting. You can find her providing inspiration on her blog, Inspired Life. Connect with Tyra on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook too.

Be sure to subscribe by email so you don’t miss any encouragement! Just enter your address in the top right box (I’ll send you four free tracks from my Echoes of My Heart album too).

welcome

Hi, I'm Katie (a Modern Martha, wife, and mom to five). I'm so glad you're here! Let's enjoy some cut-to-the-chase conversation over hot or iced tea, as we find grace in the unraveling of life (together). Let's exchange try-hard striving for hope-filled freedom as we settle into our position as a doer and a daughter—created by a Loving Father.
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